About NST
What is NST?
Neurostructural Integration Technique® which is the Advanced Bowen Therapy designed by Michael J Nixon-Levy is an extremely powerful multidimensional technique, which has been specifically developed for the ongoing dynamic integration of the structure and viscera via stimulation of the central, peripheral autonomic nervous systems.
The main objective is to remove pain and dysfunctional physiological conditions by restoring the structural integrity of the body. Michael J. Nixon-Livy is an international teacher and health practitioner who was born in Australia in 1954. He started his career in complementary medicine in 1974, in nutritional science, psychology, human relations and various bodywork therapies. He is an Applied Physiologist and has a Diploma in Solution Focused Therapy (Eriksonian therapy). In 1991 he started the process of choreographing the advanced principles of the late Australian bodywork genius, Tom Bowen, into a practical, dynamic and teachable system. In 1995 he completed this undertaking and the Neurostructural Integration Technique was founded. Today he lives in Germany where he teaches the Neurostructural Integration Technique to professional health practitioners in Britain, Germany, the USA, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, France and Australia. Micheal Nixon-Livy personally worked with various people to develop the Neurostructural Integration Technique. The advantage of NST is that it is quicker and smoother in its application than the earlier forms of the Bowen technique and also consistently achieves excellent results in more difficult cases.
Gayle R. Jones is a student to Michael Nixon-Livy
History and Development
In fact often times during experiments when working on somebody, if he performed a move, as he called them, which was wrong, then he would receive a burning sensation in the fingers so hot that it would necessitate him quickly leaving the room to cool his fingers under cold running water. Add to this unique ability of touch, a discerning eye for variation in surface tension on his client's body, you have a man with a rare and powerful experimental methodology for probing the body. It is indeed fortunate that these unique abilities were further enhanced by Bowen's genuine compassion and love for his fellow man and a strong drive to help whoever he could and whenever he could, as this enabled him to create a system which is now usable by many others. Bowen became famous throughout his career for being able to cure the incurable, and find solutions when none seemed possible. He treated everybody the same, from street drunkards to the well known and powerful.
When investigated in 1975 by the Australian Government for potentially practising osteopathy without a license it was revealed that he was treating approximately some 13,000 people per year, with amazing success. Rather than closing his business down, the investigation only served to make him and his methods more well known and famous, a mantle ironically he tried to avoid. Throughout his career there were only five people with whom he spent significant amounts of time at his clinic, to show them his technique and the secrets behind using it. Interestingly the five individuals were shown the technique as it existed at various times throughout his highly developmental style career. At various times in his career there would be one or two working with him, each one day per week. Interestingly, they were not encouraged to share techniques with each other. And after Tom's death, those who did compare notes were astonished by how differently they were taught, though common threads certainly ran through each's practice. Consequently after his death different interpretations of his work have sprung up from these students, representing one phase or another in his career. Tom's students were taught by classical apprenticeship, long periods of observation, interspersed with occasional testing to make sure they were up to what he was presenting.
After having extensively assimilated the offerings of two of the largest Bowen institutes, consulted with three of Tom's original students, and experimented with the work for a decade, the Advanced Bowen Technique was developed. Like so many artists and geniuses whose work continues to grow and prosper well after their death, Bowen's work in all its forms is becoming generally known around the world as Bowen Therapy and continues to grow in popularity amongst a wide variety of therapist groups.
Philosophy and Application
Put simply, the philosophy is that the body is a self regulating bioenergetic and biomechanical phenomena which will continue to regulate itself for as long as it has the reserve energy necessary to sustain life, by the ongoing process of biological adaptation. Bowen realized that the body would regulate itself and return to balance if the appropriate neurological and neuromuscular context was created so that it could. There was never the question of if it could, this was implicit in the fact that the person had life was evidence enough that it could! He discovered that there is a particular cycle in the body which must be free to operate unimpeded, if the individual is to enjoy good health and balance. While he perceived that this cycle was perceptible at an energetic level, he was equally aware of its physical components namely the sacrum, coccyx, cranium and Temporomandibular Joint complex and the dural membrane, which connects them to make them a functional unit. Over and above the importance of recognizing the need for this system to remain unimpeded, was his emphasis and insistence on releasing the neuromuscular imbalances throughout the body, which have such a direct impact on the proper functioning of the cycle and consequently the health of the whole body. He postulated that if all muscular imbalances could be released that the body would regulate itself, and in this process pain and symptoms would vanish and energy levels would increase.
His real brilliance however lies in the actual system he devised to enable this automatic systematic reintegration to take place.
Bowen recognized that when the body was stimulated in a very particular fashion that the intelligence of the body would be alerted (as he put it) and the process of unravelling neuromuscular compensations would begin. Depending on the extent of compensation in the body, this unravelling process could take anywhere from 5 minutes to 7 days at which time the body would go into a holding pattern. A reassessment would be required to evaluate the client again, then another session carried out to restart the unravelling process once again if necessary. In clinical practice on average it is common to receive reports from clients that they can feel the body going through the unravelling process for approximately 2 to 4 days. There is often a very similar pattern experienced with body aches which move from one location to another (e.g. shoulder to knee), some sweating, emotional releases with some clients, but above all a very deep sense of relaxation and change taking place. In addition many clients report noticing their symptoms leaving their bodies in the reverse order to which they arrived.
The actual application of the technique is interesting in itself, as it is distinctly different from any other technique attempting to achieve the same goal.
It is reasonable to state that the Neurostructural Integration Technique once applied creates a powerful context for change to take place in the musculoskeletal and visceral systems via what can only be described as a specific decoding of the nervous system and a comprehensive resetting of the body. Although to the client the session seems simple, noninvasive and gentle, the results are nevertheless very surprising and often miraculous. While this is the case for the client, the practitioner comes to expect these wonderful results, as dependability is one of the key characteristics of the NST technique. NST is not said to "heal", it is simply a process that enables the body to regulate itself, and throughout this process many symptoms will disappear. That is to say that the symptoms in the first place were simply a product of the complex blockage existing in the body. While this may appear to be just semantics I stress that the distinction is very important to keep in mind. NST is synonymous with contextual healing - a lost art which is now having a resurgence and gaining both popularity with practitioners and clients alike.
The following list of symptoms frequently disappear in response to an NST session;
- acute and chronic pain
- headaches
- menstrual problems
- back pain
- migraines
- prostate problems
- neck pain
- sinusitis
- visual problems
- shoulder pain
- colitis
- learning disorders
- leg pain
- constipation
- emotional depression
- facial pain
- urinary disorders
- digestive problems
- infertility
- Parkinson's Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Autism and Attention Deficit Disorder
- Fibromyalgia
- TMJ Syndrome
- Herniated Disks
- Seizures
An 8 year old girl, presented with impaired co-ordination, scoliotic pelvis, perception disorder of the muscles, and heavy binocular squint (especially when tired). The child had previously received the best possible medical care available. After the first application of NST the child said she 'felt different'; after the second application of NST she was able to ride her scooter and walk up and down the stairs, an activity she was previously unable to do without the help of somebody else. For the first time in her life she felt pain after muscular exertion. After the third application of NST her physiotherapist asserted that the scoliotic pelvis was now straight, as were relevant points on the scapulae as well. At the same time the co-ordination and perception of the muscles had improved so much that even a forward somersault was possible. After the fourth application of NST 'incredible but true' the ophthalmologist asserted that the child squinted no longer. In fact this test was carried out when the child was quite tired, having come straight from school. She continues to improve. Dr. Michaele Beckmann, Dusseldorf, Germany, 1998.
David S a 30-year-old accountant presented complaining of lower back pain due to a football injury that had persisted for 11 years. Although very skeptical during his first NST session he admitted to feeling 80% better within the following days. 'Okay I feel heaps better, but how could such light moves on my body possibly provide this much relief'? His second visit convinced him, as he now remains absolutely pain free.
Pam Bolger, Melbourne, Australia, 1998. A 61-year-old woman presented with a very long history of chronic tension in the shoulders and severe weekly migraine attacks and chronic insomnia. She had previously tried allopathic medicine, osteopathy, massage, acupuncture, and according to her 'everything else possible'. She came with a somewhat skeptical attitude because everything else she had tried provided only temporary relief. After the first session she was sleeping better and the tension had gone from her shoulders. She had also experienced a week without a migraine attack. After the second session her energy levels where very high, she was pain free and felt 'wonderful'. To date she has required no further sessions. Judith Smale, France, 1999.
How does NST Work?
NST is a subtle muscle/nerve/connective tissue technique. The work is gentle, noninvasive and can be performed through clothing. Unlike massage or other manipulations that try to force a change, NST simply resets your body to heal itself. The results are profound and lasting, and usually apparent within two or three sessions. Sessions seem to build on each other until a holding pattern occurs.
NST's application is completely safe and appropriate for everyone from highly trained athletes, to newborns, to pregnant women, to the elderly and infirm. It is neither derived from nor substantially similar to any other physical modality. There is no manipulation of joints or bony structures such as in chiropractic--however,misalignments will almost invariably right themselves.
There is no deep or prolonged contact with muscle tissues as in massage--however,muscle tensions and strains are relieved and normal lymphatic flow restored. There is no heavy probing of fascia or connective tissue as in Rolfing or deep-tissue work--however, fascia rehydrates, adhesions release and scar tissue softens and shrinks.
There is no strategic 'duress' or invoking of emotional content as in "mind-body" therapies--however, internal psychological shifts are very common.
There is no intentional "channeling" or redirecting of energies--however,nearly everyone reports a pleasant, trance-like state, a quickening and subliming of the spirits, and a profound sense of well-being and ease.
Although many traditional acupoints are included in the sequences, there are not addressed or organized in anything resembling Chinese medical theory--however,meridian readings will show strong and immediate changes.
In Conclusion
The Neurostructural Integration Technique is a very powerful and effective advanced Bowen Therapy which can be used to resolve a plethora of health problems, both acute and chronic, in a gentle, timely and safe manner. Results are consistently long lasting for even the most severe and chronic cases.